Air conditioners, bless them, are what keeps you in office for long hours in the sweltering heat of the summers. You hate even going to a tea or coffee break outside as it makes you sweat….
So, air conditioners are keeping you in the office more, and are making your boss smile. But did you know that ACs might be making you sick?
ACs can lead to many potential diseases like common cold, sore throat and tonsillitis. A study led by Dr. Dan Teculescu of the European Respiratory Society in 1997 of 770 office staff in both air conditioned and naturally cooled buildings, shows that those in air-conditioned work environments were 2.5 times more likely to suffer frequent respiratory infections than those who breathed fresh air every day.
Air conditioners affect you in the following way:
Allergies, Flu: Air conditioners prevent many asthma and allergic reactions as the filters keep the outside dust, fungi under control with circulating clean air. But if the air filter is not maintained then the fungi, bacteria in the same filter can trigger flu, asthma attack, irritation of the eyes and throat.
The Solution: Clean the filter with soapy water and let it dry before reinstalling. Make sure, you have an Annual Management Contract and cleaning filters forms a part of the contract.
Stale Air: Even if one person suffers from flu in an air conditioned office, it can soon spread to others due to the circulation of the same air.
The Solution-Opening windows at least half an hour in a day when nobody is the office will help circulate the air. This way the infectious air won’t circulate.
- Using Ozonizers, a type of air purifier for 20 minutes can kill bacteria and filter out a wide range of contaminants.
Pulls up Humidity: Air conditioners soak up humidity. They aren’t selective about from where humidity comes. So, the moisture in the skin is also absorbed and the skin is left dry. When a person immediately goes in the sun afterwards, the UV rays directly affect the skin leaving it under attack.
The Solution: Keep a bowl of water where the room so it pulls the moisture from the water not the skin thus the drying effect is reduced. Also, apply moisturizer on the skin.
